Surplus Questions from Pizza with the Presidents Answered

Because of time, not all of the questions submitted during Pizza with the Presidents were addressed. Here are the questions and answers.

What is the progress of the new student center construction?

On-site construction is on a temporary hold, awaiting the fire marshal’s final approval of the drawings. Offsite fabrication of building systems is ongoing. A projected restart of the on-site work is within a month or two.

What steps is CPP making to become 100 percent renewable energy?

Every new building project is planned with efficient green renewable energy systems in mind, including low-energy HVAC building systems, low-energy lighting and natural-light design features. PV and solar (off-campus grid) are designed, pending funding availability as well.

Why isn’t there a sidewalk along Camphor from Marketplace to Building 4? We almost get run over by speeding cars. The Bronco Express has to move to the other lane to pass students.

The addition of a sidewalk along Camphor in this location is challenging due to road width requirements for vehicles and the loading dock area for Building 5. A safer pedestrian alternative is the walkway from the west Quad area leading up between Building 5 and Building 8. All academic buildings at this side of the campus are accessible through this walkway.

Are we going to clean up the Koi pond in the Japanese Garden and the pond by the dorms? You cannot even see the fish.

The “Duck Pond” by the traditional residence halls is a natural spring and not an ornamental pond, meaning it does not have a filter system to clean the water. The fish and wildlife at this location were not introduced by the university. The pond is fed naturally from local spring water and supplemented with domestic water by the university. An aeration system is also operated by the university to reduce debris, insects and to add oxygen to the water.

The Aratani Japanese Garden is managed by the university and maintained by an outside contractor three times a week. Upon recent inspection, the water was clear and the ornamental koi fish were visible from all locations. The contractor services the waterfall pumps and filtration system, and oversees the health of the koi fish. The gravel bed is vacuumed quarterly, or more frequently, if needed.

When will the fallen tree near Building 4 be cleaned up? It’s scary walking by it at night.

The tree at Building 4 that toppled over from the recent storms was removed on March 4. The removal was scheduled on a Saturday in coordination with the dean’s office, so not to disturb classes during the week. The removal had been delayed because of reoccurring storm activity.

At night on the weekends, the street lights in M Lot turn off and walking to our cars feels unsafe. Can we keep lights on so students can walk to their cars safely when studying late?

Lot M lights will be reprogrammed to remain on during nighttime hours on the weekends to address concerns.

Are there plans to further resolve the parking situation? Even with the construction of the new parking structure parking seems to still be a problem.

It’s a delicate balance between providing enough parking to accommodate the campus community and at the same time doing everything we can to encourage people to explore alternatives to driving alone (taking public transportation, carpooling, etc.). In addition to the new parking structure, there is an overflow lot containing 500 spaces behind the Red Cross building at Kellogg Drive and Valley Boulevard. A second overflow lot containing 175 spaces is across from Innovation Brew Works at Innovation Way and Temple Avenue. There are shuttle stops at both overflow lots.

Accessibility on campus? Folks are drudging through mud and dodging cars to get to class. Help?

There are paved paths of travel from every parking lot to classroom buildings and/or shuttle stops. Everyone (vehicle drivers and pedestrians, skateboarders and cyclists) has a responsibility to observe posted speed limits, respect crosswalks, not walk in the street or ride in congested pedestrian zones and look out for each other. Courtesy and awareness will go a long way in keeping our campus safe for all.

Have you ever considered a more progressive class scheduling technique? To help alleviate traffic and parking you could schedule classes like 8:00, 8:05, 8:10, 8:15, 8:20, etc. This way there is a constant flow in and out of the campus, rather than large groups of traffic coming in waves.

Class scheduling is complex because it must meet the needs of students who take a variety of lecture, seminar, laboratory, activity and independent-study courses. Such courses can have one, two, three, four or more units. For lecture and seminar classes, the weekly contact hours are the same as the class units. For example, a four-unit lecture class has four hours of contact time every week. For laboratory classes, every unit of lab requires three contact hours per week. For activity classes, every unit of activity requires two contact hours per week. In order to allow for consistent and predictable daily and weekly schedules for students, as well as to maximize the use of classroom and laboratory spaces, well-defined time modules exist for scheduling classes. For example, a popular time module for four-unit lecture classes offered on Tuesday/Thursday is 1 to 2:50 p.m. Another popular time module for four-unit lecture classes offered on Monday/Wednesday is 2 to 3:50 p.m. Currently, Cal Poly Pomona departments can choose from 505 different time modules for scheduling classes during the academic year. There are 363 different time modules available for scheduling classes during the summer. The time modules ensure that students have a better chance of aligning a class schedule. Moreover, the time modules ensure maximal use of our instructional spaces. A progressive class scheduling technique would create many overlapping time modules, making it difficult for students to enroll in multiple classes. Moreover, a progressive approach would lower our space utilization efficiency.

I’m a student at Electronics Systems Engineering Technology department (ESET). Previously known as Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology. (ECET) My question is about the amount of classes offered in an academic year. The problem we face as students is that if you miss a class or failed it, then you have to wait for another year to complete it. This adds another year to graduate.

For curricular, logistical or budgetary reasons, it is not always feasible to offer all required courses in multiple quarters in a year. The Electromechanical Engineering Technology department has a policy that it will offer a course in any given quarter if there are 20 or more students petitioning to take the course. If a certain course is not offered in a given quarter, students also may take an equivalent course from another department. Your academic advisor or the department chair may be able to provide specific details.

I am a transfer student and this is my second quarter attending Cal Poly Pomona. However, I have had an unfortunate time finding the classes I need and also getting the advising for my major. I have talked to several professors and advisors, but what else can I do about this problem?

Please contact Erin DeRosa, the senior coordinator for University Advising, at ederosa@cpp.edu so that she can learn more about your specific major and situation in order to provide you with guidance on the next steps.

Will there be a return of the old Billy Bronco?

Thank you for the question about Billy Bronco and recognizing the added strength. He is very flattered and proud to know that people noticed the changes, as he worked very hard work last summer to get fit.

Why is Homecoming in Winter Quarter and not sooner like in high school?

Homecoming is in winter quarter because we coordinate the timing of it with our women’s and men’s basketball games. This is done similarly at other universities.

What brand of protein powder does Billy Bronco use? How much does he bench press?

At the 2015 NCAA Convention, the Division II bylaws changed in relation to strength and conditioning rules regarding student-athletes (and in our case our mascot as well). We were able to hire a certified strength and conditioning coach and have recently renovated our Broncos Performance Center with modern amenities that allow for a professional strength and conditioning program. Additionally, in fall 2016, the NCAA eliminated some protein requirements that had previous been restrictive in providing student-athlete and mascot supplements. We have a corporate partnership with Nutri-Shop and provide Forza Pro protein supplement to Billy that aids in his training recovery and muscle building.

Billy Bronco is on a year-round lifting program that is focused on creating an aesthetically pleasing physique for his many public appearances … and some much needed beach time during the summer. Billy is currently bench-pressing 315 pounds for three working sets of five reps.

Will Cal Poly host more Hackathons to push more innovative ideas out from our campus?

Poly Founders currently only hosts one hackathon per year and the group does not anticipate hosting another. The iLab hosts several events similar to the hackathon — startup weekend and Innovation Challenge (projects are developed over two weeks). The iLab is also launching iStartup Academy in the spring and will focus on students learning how to turn their innovative ideas to businesses. See www.cppilab.org for more information on all these events. Also, the CEO student club hosts a four-hour themed hackathon in the fall quarter called Idea Jam. There are multiple opportunities for students to participate in “hackathon” type events throughout the school year.

Now that Kellogg has cut back their funding towards us to give money to inter-city youth, how will our tuition be affected since it is currently subsidized by Kellogg?

In 2010, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation generously gave an endowment of $40 million to Cal Poly Pomona to establish the Kellogg Legacy Project Endowment. The endowment supports projects and activities that strengthen the university and advance its major goals, particularly in the success of disadvantaged students and underrepresented students. The endowment funds are not meant to replace state funding or tuition fees, but should enhance and supplement research, student support services, campus activities, academic programs, scholarships and community outreach.

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